The Legend of Zelda[a] is an action-adventure video-game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool, and Grezzo. The series' gameplay incorporates elements of action, adventure, and puzzle-solving games.
"I had a dream... In the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule... But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds and lit up the ground... The light turned into a figure holding a green and shining stone, followed by a fairy... I know this is a prophecy that someone would come from the forest... Yes, I thought you might be the one... Oh, I'm sorry! I got carried away with my story and didn't even properly introduce myself! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."

In Time Trial mode, players race against the clock through the same tracks that are present in Grand Prix mode in 150cc engine class, attempting to set the fastest time possible. There are no opponent racers or item boxes, though the player will always begin each race with three Mushrooms in reserve. For any given course the shortest total times are saved, and the shortest single lap time of any race is also saved. The fastest time is saved as a ghost, a copy of the player's performance, which the player can race against later. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, 200cc Time Trial has been added.

Some time before the Great Calamity, the Yiga Clan even attempted to assassinate Zelda before she could awaken her sealing magic. They would have succeeded, had it not been for Link`s intervention. After the Great Calamity, with Zelda sealing herself with Ganon in Hyrule Castle, the Yiga Clan focused on hunting down Link and any of Zelda's surviving allies instead.
The developers had originally planned to use a famous vocalist in the ending of Final Fantasy VII, but the plan didn't go through due to being too abrupt, and there was no suitable theme in the story for a vocal song to suddenly come up in the ending. This idea was realized in Final Fantasy VIII whose "Eyes On Me" has a meaning in the plot and it relates to the game's main characters.[19] Uematsu went on to compose vocal theme songs for the main series games Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XIV, even though he didn't otherwise participate with Final Fantasy XII, its soundtrack being composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
Neutral aerial Mega/Rock Buster 2% (shot), 2% (Mega Buster) Behaves identically to Mega Man's neutral attack, except Mega Man fires while jumping or falling in the air much like in his original games. The move has a sweetspot on the Mega Buster that has high base knockback and can serve as a surprise KO option when edge-guarding. Due to Mega Man's effective aerial movement, his neutral attack can be used as a very effective "wall" to deny approaches.
The series has spawned many spinoff franchises. The most notable, Kingdom Hearts, is a crossover between Final Fantasy characters and Disney characters, and has gone on to be successful in its own right with 21 million units sold.[90] Many games have been released by staff who previously worked on Final Fantasy titles. Bravely Default began as a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, and includes the job system and similar abilities. The Last Story was developed by series creator Sakaguchi after leaving Square Enix, while Granblue Fantasy was developed by former staff and had a musical score composed by Nobuo Uematsu.
The game won multiple Wii-specific awards from IGN in its 2008 video game awards, including Best Racing Game[46] and Best Online Multiplayer Game.[47] IGN also nominated it for Best Family Game for the Wii.[48] The game was ranked ninth in Nintendo Power's "Best of the Decade."[49] It also won the award for "Favorite Video Game" at the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards.[50] Guinness World Records has awarded Mario Kart Wii with a record for being the best-selling racing video game of all time.[51]
LIkewise, while many of the levels are incredibly well designed such as Block Man's stage (which makes a great tutorial for the double gear system) or Tundra Man's stage, this just makes it more obvious when level design falls short of expectations. Bounce Man's stage may be the single most frustrating stage to appear in a classic Mega Man game, and the flame wall in Torch Man's stage is more frustrating than challenging.
Skyward Sword shook up the series in other ways, too. It removed Zelda's traditional large overworld, and instead used smaller, separate areas designed to be played multiple times, albeit with radical changes for each visit. And then there was Fi, the magical spirit which lived in Link's famous Master Sword. Many fans compared her chattiness to that of Ocarina of Time's Navi - and not in a good way.
Ocarina of Time's follow-up, Majora's Mask, was released in April 2000. It uses the same 3D game engine as the previous game,[71] and added a time-based concept, in which Link, the protagonist, relives the events of three days as many times as needed to complete the game's objectives. It was originally called Zelda Gaiden,[72] a Japanese title that translates as Zelda Side story. Gameplay changed significantly; in addition to the time-limit, Link can use masks to transform into creatures with unique abilities. While Majora's Mask retains the graphical style of Ocarina of Time, it is also a departure, particularly in its atmosphere. It features motion-blur, unlike its predecessor. The game is darker,[71] dealing with death and tragedy in a manner not previously seen in the series, and has a sense of impending doom, as a large moon slowly descends upon the land of Termina to destroy all life. All copies of Majora's Mask are gold cartridges. A limited "Collector's Edition" lenticular cartridge label was offered as the pre-order incentive. Copies of the game that are not collector's editions feature a normal sticker cartridge label. Majora's Mask is included in the Collector's Edition,[68] and is available on the Virtual Console, as well as a 3D port for the portable 3DS console.
Capcom wanted a redesign in graphics and control as the Mega Man series moved from the NES to the SNES, prompting the creation of the Mega Man X series in 1993. Set in the future, this series follows the story of Mega Man's successor, Mega Man X, a new, advanced robot that has complete free will over his actions, thoughts and feelings. This character, often referred to as "X", is also a creation of Dr. Light, put into suspended animation and uncovered 100 years in the future by a researcher named Dr. Cain. The Mega Man X series features more detailed 16-bit graphics and greater freedom of movement. In the Mega Man X series, the characters grow in abilities and power as the game progresses.
Graphics are good, of course, it is the Wii, so don't expect Gran Turismo or Forza. Still, the tracks look good and the overall graphics are not only well made, but also fun too look at; with bits of different Nintendo licences put together, expect to race through jungles, pipes, etc. Plus, you get to be Mario and his friends. What more can you ask for? The numerous tracks keep this game from becoming stale and boring. Also, the ability to drop shells, banana peels, etc. make this a unique experience that guarantees every player will have a blast.
I hereby pledge to you, kind internet strangers, to play OoT, TO COMPLETION, no matter how long it takes me. By "completion," I mean "defeat Ganon" (ain't got the staying power or skillz for 100%). I'm allowed to consult walkthroughs, but only when I'm on the verge of rage quitting, as this is more about willpower than it is intellect. I do have the original from when I was a child, but I've just bought the 3D version as it's portable, meaning I'll have less excuse to put it off (also it's an early Christmas treat to myself and only 16 quid on the Nintendo eShop). I'm hesistant to call this a New Year's resolution, as it might take me more than a year and I've started early, but hey ho. If I can do this, I can do anything!

"The Legend of Zelda Theme" is a recurring piece of music that was created for the first game of the franchise. The composer and sound director of the series, Koji Kondo, initially planned to use Maurice Ravel's Boléro as the game's title theme, but was forced to change it when he learned, late in the game's development cycle, that the copyright for the orchestral piece had not yet expired. As a result, Kondo wrote a new arrangement of the overworld theme within one day.[7] The "Zelda Theme" has topped ScrewAttack's "Top Ten Videogame Themes Ever" list.[8]

The VS mode involves player(s) racing a track of their choice and also feature customized rules such as team racing and item frequency. VS mode has been changed several times throughout the series. In earlier games, VS mode is exclusive to multiplayer without any computer-controlled racers. Starting from Mario Kart DS, VS mode can be played either single player with CPU racers, or multiplayer with or without CPU racers. A notable exception is Mario Kart 7, where single-player VS races are removed and limited only to multiplayer, but the rules remain the same as in Mario Kart DS and later installments.
In 2005, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a theatrical CGI film, and Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, a non-canon OVA,[48] were released as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Advent Children was animated by Visual Works, which helped the company create CG sequences for the games.[49] The film, unlike The Spirits Within, gained mixed to positive reviews from critics[50][51][52] and has become a commercial success.[53] Last Order, on the other hand, was released in Japan in a special DVD bundle package with Advent Children. Last Order sold out quickly[54] and was positively received by Western critics,[55][56] though fan reaction was mixed over changes to established story scenes.[57]
The Mario Kart series has received widespread critical and fan acclaim. On Metacritic, all entries in the series hold aggregate review scores of 82 to 91 out of 100, except for Super Mario Kart, which was never reviewed there. On GameRankings, all eight main Mario Kart installments hold very high approval ratings, ranging from 82% (Mario Kart Wii) to 94% (Super Mario Kart). The Mario Kart games have also been praised by many other gaming reviews publishers including Edge, IGN, The Age, GameSpot, and Official Nintendo Magazine among others. In its 250th issue, Nintendo Power stated that the series was one of the greatest multiplayer experiences, citing the diversity in game modes as well as the overall entertainment value.[11] The Mario Kart series has also been lauded by the Guinness Book of World Records, which gave it six records including "First Console Kart Racing Game," "Best Selling Racing Game," and "Longest Running Kart Racing Franchise," while also naming its SNES debut game the top console game of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.[12]
In the portable entries, the series also performed outstanding sales. Mario Kart: Super Circuit, has sold a total of 5.9 million copies, making it the fourth best-selling game on the Game Boy Advance.[14] The second portable game, Mario Kart DS, has sold a total of 23.60 million copies.[15] The third best-selling game for the Nintendo DS, it is also the best-selling portable game in the series.[15] Mario Kart 7, released for the Nintendo 3DS, has sold 17.21 million copies, and is the best-selling 3DS game as of June 2018.[17]
Mario Kart Wii features multiple game modes: Grand Prix, Time Trials, Versus, and Battle. All modes support single-player gameplay; Versus and Battle support local multiplayer for up to four players, with or without computer-controlled players. In Grand Prix, the player participates in four three-lap races from one of eight cups against eleven opponents. The player is awarded points at the end of each race based on their ranking. The total number of points collected determines the player's overall rank. Versus mode is similar to Grand Prix, but the presented courses and items may configurable. In Time Trials, the player must quickly complete the race in the fastest time possible— there are no opponents or items except for three Mushrooms given at the start of each race. The player can compete against a ghost character, which mimics a player's movements from an earlier race. Ghost data can be saved in the Wii console memory.
From Final Fantasy X onward the series has had other composers as Uematsu eventually left Square to go freelance, though he has continued to compose music for the series for as recent as the original Final Fantasy XIV. The soundtrack for Final Fantasy X was a joint effort between Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano, the music for Final Fantasy XII was mainly composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masashi Hamauzu did the soundtrack for Final Fantasy XIII, and Yoko Shimomura—who had previously composed the music for Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series—composed the music for Final Fantasy XV.

Nintendo GameCube Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, released in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube, introduced a number of new gameplay features. The most prominent feature is co-op gameplay with two riders per kart, where one player drives and the other uses items. This is also the first game to allow everyone to move on regardless of which position they earned after each race. In addition to 9 of the 10 characters who return from previous installments (excluding Donkey Kong Jr.), 11 new playable characters are added: Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr., Birdo, Princess Daisy, Waluigi, Koopa Paratroopa, babies Mario and Luigi, Petey Piranha, King Boo, and the newly-created Toadette. Each pair of drivers is assigned their own unique special item (e.g. fireballs for Mario and Luigi, or giant bananas for Donkey and Diddy Kong). Individual characters also gain their own unique custom-designed karts. Another new addition is the "All-Cup Tour," which has the player race in every track at the same time; once this is cleared on the highest difficulty setting, the player can unlock a "Parade Kart," which can be used by any character of any weight.

Jump up ↑ "When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand... Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world..." — Sheik (Ocarina of Time)
In The Wind Waker, Zelda's (or more precisely Tetra's) relations consist of a deceased mother who previously led her band of pirates, and an ancient ancestor who often takes the form of a talking boat. The pirates of Tetra's crew deeply respect their captain and act as a surrogate family for her. It was also confirmed in Spirit Tracks that Tetra is the grandmother of Zelda in the Japanese script. She was the one who taught Zelda about the Lokomos. It is also hinted in the Fallen Hero Timeline that the Seven Sages in Ocarina of Time are the ancestors of the maidens and sages in A Link Between Worlds. Another significant relationship shown is with King Daltus, father of Zelda in The Minish Cap. When Zelda is turned to stone, he is desperate to find a way to save her. The quest to do so requires Link to communicate with the spirit of another royal ancestor, King Gustaf.
Zelda tried to rally the other fighters to fight the army of Master Hands by saying, "Stow your fear; it's now or never!". Zelda was present when Galeem unleashed its beams of light. Zelda and Mewtwo attempted to reflect the beams using Nayru's Love and Confusion, respectively, but this attempt failed, and both of them were vaporized and transformed into spirits along with the rest of the fighters (excluding Kirby).In several games, Zelda has a nursemaid named Impa, a faithful servant who is heavily hinted to be largely responsible for raising her and cultivating her abilities. In The Legend of Zelda, Impa is her most trusted servant, the one whom she entrusts with the task of finding a hero to defeat Ganon. In The Adventure of Link, it is Impa who brings Link to the North Castle and recounts the story of the ancient curse on the sleeping Zelda.
It's just okay. The new fully real-time battle system is interesting and even entertaining as long as you don't have like ten enemies swarming you, making it nigh-impossible to make sense of the situation with like five enemies coming in to parry. Wait Mode does help with this, but it feels a little awkward as whenever you stop moving, the screen freezes so you can plan your action, which breaks the flow of combat if it wasn't needed at that moment.

As pointed out by others, Zelda has many attributes that attracts allies. While not always a stable relationship from the start, she has gained many good friends throughout various games. Most of her friends deeply respect her as the princess of Hyrule and do not doubt her judgment. Her kindness is enough to turn even some of her enemies into allies.

As you can imagine, Mega Man 11 isn't a very long game. It adheres to a classic formula that relies on the player having to really learn a level to get passed it, and designing them well enough that you're encouraged to replay the game. To give you some incentive to revisit levels you can also engage in challenges. Some are standard fare, such as engaging in time trial modes. Other modes are more unique than that. One type of challenge, for example, is getting through a level with a limited number of jumps. It's nice to have the challenges, but you're not as likely to spend time with them. On the other hand, some levels are designed well enough that they warrant a replay just for the sheer fun factor. Mega Man 11 also features a New Game+ and multiple difficulty settings for players hoping to really test their skills. I've found the game is worth replaying again, even some of its more frustrating moments.
For the first few installments a key plot point was the Crystals. Each world would feature four, each representing the four elements, and without them the world would deteriorate. The antagonists often begin by destroying or stealing these Crystals for power, and the party would fail to prevent them and be forced to foil their grander scheme later. This plot was abandoned in Final Fantasy VI, and while the games would still feature Crystals, they often did not have the same importance.
Where Mega Man 11 deviates in its gameplay is with a new system called the Double Gear. In a flashback to Dr. Wily and Mega Man creator Dr. Light’s younger days, we learn that Wily helped develop the Double Gear system, believing it to be the next evolution for robotkind. Light, on the other hand, believed that robot progress lay in artificial intelligence, a disagreement that led to their decadeslong rift.

This game was a gift for my brother's birthday and he and I remember playing Megaman from our childhoods so this game was a much anticipated gift! Game is crisp and clean with new style of graphics. Megaman uses a whole new time slowing ability and/or power up ability allowing Megaman to unload MEGA devastation on his enemies! You will see new boss power-ups like never before with Megaman's copy techniques and good ole dog rush and friends return for support.

As the franchise has grown in popularity, several games have been released that are set within or star a minor character from the universe of The Legend of Zelda but are not directly connected to the main The Legend of Zelda series. Both map versions of the game BS Zelda no Densetsu for the Satellaview (released in August and December 1995) could be considered spin-offs due to the fact that they star the "Hero of Light" (portrayed by either the Satellaview's male or female avatar) as opposed to Link as the protagonist of Hyrule. A third Satellaview game released in March 1997, BS Zelda no Densetsu Inishie no Sekiban (BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets) could also be considered a spin-off for the same reason. Other spin-off games include Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland for the Nintendo DS – an RPG released in September 2006 in Japan (Summer of 2007 in the UK) to star supporting character Tingle. A second Tingle game is Tingle's Balloon Fight DS for the Nintendo DS. Here Tingle again stars in this spin-off arcade style platformer, released in April 2007 only in Japan and available solely to Platinum Club Nintendo members. In addition to games in which Link does not star as the protagonist, games such as the shooter game, Link's Crossbow Training (for the Wii), have been considered spin-offs due to the lack of a traditional "Save Hyrule" plot-line. Released in November 2007 as a bundle with the Wii Zapper, this game allows players to assume the identity of Link as he progresses through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship. Color Changing Tingle's Love Balloon Trip was released in Japan in 2009 as a sequel to Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. Hyrule Warriors, a crossover game combining the setting of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series and the gameplay of Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors series, was announced for the Wii U video game system in December 2013 and was released in North America in September 2014. Hyrule Warriors Legends, a version for the Nintendo 3DS containing more content and gameplay modifications, was released in March 2016. To commemorate the launch of the My Nintendo loyalty program in March 2016, Nintendo released My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a Picross puzzle game developed by Jupiter for download to the Nintendo 3DS.[112][113]
This Princess Zelda is confirmed to be a direct descendant of Tetra,[12] the pirate captain who was also the incarnation of Princess Zelda in her day, and makes an appearance in a large stained glass window in Hyrule Castle's Throne Room.[133] Princess Zelda states that the Spirit Flute was played for her in her youth by her grandmother, and Anjean states that she gave the Spirit Flute to Tetra long ago, pointing out the similarities between the reigning Princess Zelda and her ancestor, the feisty pirate captain that arrived on the land's shores long ago.
At one point, there was also a game in the series planned for the Virtual Boy in 1995. Tentatively entitled VB Mario Kart, it was likely to be the first sequel to Super Mario Kart. The game was canceled due to the Virtual Boy's failure, and was never reported in the media until revealed in the August 2000 issue of German gaming magazine The Big N, along with other shelved projects for that system.[9] Even though the GBA already had its own official Mario Kart game in Super Circuit, a tech demo called Mario Kart XXL was made for that system by Manfred Trenz of the company "Denaris Entertainment Software".
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VS Race – Multiple human players race against each other on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency. The mode also includes single-player VS races and CPU controlled players to compete in VS races as well since Mario Kart DS (except for Mario Kart 7). Super Circuit, however, features a Quick Run mode, which shares similarities with VS mode.